Kingswood Village Property Owners Association
Defensible Space/Home Hardening
Defensible Space is the buffer an owner creates between their structure(s) on their property and the ground cover, shrubs, trees or any wildland area that surrounds it. This created buffer helps to protect and increase the chance of the building’s survival from a wildfire.
The State of California requires owners of “real property” to maintain defensible space “at all times”. Thus, whether you are a residential/commercial owner or an association, all properties are required to have defensible space.
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California, Placer County, and Local officials have stepped-up their efforts in enforcing defensible space compliance, making sure owners of “real property” (like KVPOA) are being diligent in reducing the fire hazards to their complex and surrounding neighbors.
The Kingswood Village Board of Directors has received an inspection report from the North Tahoe Fire Department capturing everything we must do in order to bring our property under defensible space compliance and, more significantly, REDUCE THE FIRE HAZARDS TO OUR COMPLEX.
Based upon the report’s findings, the Kingswood Village Board of Director’s will subscribe to and perform defensible space/fuels reduction within a given timeline to meet compliance. Important to note:
1. The defensible space/fuels mitigation work must be done. Such work is required by the State, County and Local statutes.
2. The required defensible space/fuels mitigation work will significantly alter the landscape of our complex.
A benefit of reducing fire hazards to our complex will be that we can seek recognition as a FIREWISE Community. Such recognition could possibly help with our property insurance both collectively and individually.
Click here for more information regarding FIREWISE COMMUNITIES.
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The inspection items are meant to help prevent or slow down the spread of fire along the ground. Furthermore, such inspections are meant to prevent or slow down the spread of fire from tree to tree. (Important to note: Compliance requires not just dead/dying trees to be removed, but also living/healthy trees to gain proper separation. Studies have shown that our forest is healthiest when there is proper separation among the trees. Additionally, fire science has shown that proper separation among trees can reduce the potential of “crown fires”). Here is a list of those inspection items we will need to comply with in order for our complex to meet defensible space compliance.
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More information about defensible space:
Defensible Space: Fire-Smart Yard
Defensible Space: Get Ready
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Home Hardening is the pursuit of building or retrofitting a structure such that it can better withstand a fire. Certain measures are taken or materials used to help increase the structure’s likelihood of survival when wildfire strikes. Such measures addressed or materials. Home hardening pursued in such areas as roofing, boxed eaves, dual pane windows, firewise non-combustible siding, and firebrand-proof venting, can improve a structure’s ability to withstand a wildfire.
As we pursue reducing the threat of wildfire surrounding our condos by performing defensible space/fuels reduction mitigation work, the Kingswood Village Board of Directors will also be seeking various ways to “harden” the actual exterior portions of the structures (condos). Some of the hardening retrofits will be cost effective while others may be more expensive in nature.
More information about home hardening and creating defensible space:
Survival in Wildfire Prone Areas